PigginSkint's DFW Diary

PigginSkint

Not much to report today really.

I'm feeling a bit better today (I think!) so I haven't phoned the Drs this morning. I might actually be O.K. to go back to work on Friday. My chest feels clearer, for want of a better way of putting it. It doesn't feel as tight as it did yesterday, it doesn't hurt as much and I am not coughing as much.

OH had his arm xrayed yesterday and he has now got it in a sling for a week. From what I can gather there is a bit of damage to the collar bone. Oh, and he has been told that he must absolutely not attempt to play guitar/ukulele/mandolin for a week. That has not gone down well.

DS seems O.K. thank goodness. We were supposed to be having a meeting at his school tomorrow but it has been postponed for a week. this is because the school got hit by lightening on Friday which has affected the computer systems.

PigginSkint

Well I spoke too soon, i am not feeling any better at all - yesterday morning was just a blip! I did a bit of washing up yesterday afternoon and it completely wiped me out for the rest of the day!

I phoned my doctors yesterday to try to make an appointment with my GP - nothing doing. I left a message saying that I was not well enough to go back to work on Friday and could he extend my sicknote. I phoned back this morning and he has done another sicknote for me dated yesterday for 1 week which means I am off until next Wednesday. I have also made an appointment with a duty doctor for this afternoon - I am on the last day of my antiobiotics today and feel no better. I prefer to see my own doctor but I really can't wait until he is back on Tuesday.

OH finally made his statement at the police station yesterday evening and had his injuries photographed - at long last! Luckily (?) he has still got a corking black eye so there is still plenty to see.

They didn't catch the lads after all - apparently there was confusion with another assault. Typical! At some point OH has got to go back to look at photos that they have on file to see if he can recognise them. Surely the sooner the better? I am not going to hold my breath about them nailing the b*****ds!!

PigginSkint

Went to the doctors yesterday afternoon. My GP had done a sick note for me on Wednesday so that means I don't have to go to work until Wednesday next week - such a relief!

I had an appointment with a duty doctor. I have still got some infection in my lungs so I have now got a 2nd course of antibiotics - different ones this time. I have also got some inflammation on my lungs (I have asthma and the infection has made it worse) so I have also got a short course of steroids (4 a day -all at once - for a week). Let's hope this sorts it out!

The copy of my marriage certificate came this morning so I can now do my passport application. hooray!

Not much to report otherwise - today will be another day of watching telly, surfing the net (especially MSE), reading, doing puzzles, plus maybe a little (a very little) bit of housework. I can't do too much housework because it will wear me out - I am very weak still. ho hum! I have already dealt with work emails so I can forget about work for the rest of day - double hooray!!!

PigginSkint

Done a little bit of moneysaving stuff today. I have just sent a secure email to Egg to see if they will give me a good deal on balances transfers for life of balance. I mentioned that the current best that I have is 4.9% for life of balance and asked if they could match it - a bit cheeky but it is worth a try!

My 0% on my LTSB is about to expire so I need to find somewhere to move it to. LTSB have sent me another for 0% for 6 months which I could use but this will mean moving it off to move it back again. Also the balance on this card is larger than any of my other credit limits so I would have to move it to more that one cards, and I would incur fees.

I am also going to contact the companies for my other cards that I have balances on with low APR life of balance to see if they will let me transfer another balance at the same APR for life of balance. Again worth a try!

Virgin have also offered me 4.9% but that is just for 6 months (or was it 9?) - I will use that one as a last resort!

Oh, and I have just seen the message from MSE Forum Manager asking people to keep their signatures short! Oops! When I update mine on 1st July I shall have to make it smaller!

PigginSkint

Unusual for me to post on a Saturday but this is such good news I just couldn't wait!

I said yesterday that I had sent an email to Egg asking if they would give me a good deal on balance transfers so I can transfer the balance from my LTSB card because my 0% deal is about to expire. Got an answer today - they said no, basically. Also phoned Capital One and American Express and asked them the same question - same answer!

Then I phoned up Amazon/Halifax and asked them - I have a £0 balance on that card. They put me on hold for a minute or 2 and then offered me 2 point something % for 6 months ..... or 6.95% for the life of the balance. I nearly snatched their hands off! Yes please! :j They asked me how much I wanted to transfer - I said as much as possible. So I have transferred £4818. woo hoo!

This means there is less than £4000 which not on a life balance deal. I now have a few options for this:

1) Phone the companies for my other cards to ask them if they will give me a promotional deal for balance transfers, preferably on the same terms as the existing balances.
2) Phone LTSB and ask if they will extend the 0% for a bit longer.
3) Apply for a new card, either for a LOB deal for a long 0% deal - don't know whether I will be accepted though.
4) Transfer the balance to my Egg card (current £0 balance) and then transfer it back again - LTSB have offered me a 0% deal on new balance transfers (for either 6 or 9 months - I can't remember)

It's good to have options isn't it?

densol_2

I have really enjoyed reading your diary - excellant deatil.

One things worries me as I read through - tell me to mind my own business if you like. How much has your OH earned in the last 12 months less expenses on that credit card? Is his acting career really paying enough?

You seem to run around paying for this and that, juggling this bill, looking after the house, doing your job, selling Avon, selling on Amazon and looking after your son, I felt very very sorry for you. Does your OH do anything to help especially if he is not working?

Think about yourself - I get the impression he may be younger , good looking ? You have described yourself as having hefty thighs ( like me !!LOL )

Is this an equal relationship or is one a giver and one a taker.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning this ( I am on my third husband )

hypno06

Just skimmed through this diary (trying to have a bit of a catch up but DD has just pointed out that I am supposed to be teaching in half an hour and I am still in my PJs!!!!)

Make sure you take the time to get better completely and don't worry if you don't achieve all the things you want to over this time. your health is so important and when you are better you will be strong enough to tackle the debt head on.

Having said that, you seem to be doing so well, even though ill. But please take care!

PigginSkint

densol wrote: »

I have really enjoyed reading your diary - excellant deatil.

One things worries me as I read through - tell me to mind my own business if you like. How much has your OH earned in the last 12 months less expenses on that credit card? Is his acting career really paying enough?

You seem to run around paying for this and that, juggling this bill, looking after the house, doing your job, selling Avon, selling on Amazon and looking after your son, I felt very very sorry for you. Does your OH do anything to help especially if he is not working?

Think about yourself - I get the impression he may be younger , good looking ? You have described yourself as having hefty thighs ( like me !!LOL )

Is this an equal relationship or is one a giver and one a taker.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning this ( I am on my third husband )

I just wrote a long reply and then lost it – grrrrr!!!!

Anyway thanks for your reply and I am not at all offended – honest! A lot of what you have said is what I have also said to myself. I use this diary to vent my frustrations. However I feel I must defend OH and myself.

This is definitely an equal relationship – he looks after me and I look after him, which is the way it should be. My relationship with my Ex was definitely not equal – I did a lot of giving and he did a lot of taking. OH had the same problem with his ex – he did all the giving and she did all the taking. So we have both been there and done that and are determined not to do that in our relationship. The other thing is that we can talk to each other about things that are bothering us and we sort it out – this is something I certainly couldn’t do with my ex.

Yes I organise things but that is what I’m good at (it’s what I do for a living) and as he is an artist he is not good at organising– they’re all the same! (sorry if I offend any organised artists out there!). Like all artists he is so focussed on what he is good at that he finds it hard to concentrate on other stuff. Also, being a woman I am good at the multi-tasking stuff, which he is not. This is not making excuses for him, it is just accepting him for what he is.

OH does contribute a lot. Avon is an example – yesterday we were both out doing it. I did my deliveries while he put the books out for me. He often puts the books out for me and more often than not we both go out to get them in again. He also does some of the housework and shopping – O.K. I have to tell him exactly what I want doing and when but at least he does it!

OH works very hard and when work has been thin on the ground he has done other stuff to bring money in. Luckily he hasn’t had to do that for a while and won’t have to until at least November. He knows very well that we rely on his earnings to make ends meet.

There has been a lot of strain on our finances with one of our cats being ill – OH has paid for all of the vets bills, from his bank account not on the credit card, and they have not been cheap.

Since giving OH the sole responsibility to pay the credit card bill it has certainly focussed his mind – yesterday he paid a large chunk off it again. He also pays other bills for me when I ask him to. Again I have to tell him what to pay and when but at least he does it.

He is gradually getting more of a DFW/MSE mindset - the more I work on him the better he gets!

Oh and yes he is good looking (but I think I am too – OH certainly thinks so – even if I have got big thighs!) but he is not younger than me – he is a year older.

Thanks for your reply – I do appreciate it. I sometimes think I am talking to myself!

PigginSkint

hypno06 wrote: »

Just skimmed through this diary (trying to have a bit of a catch up but DD has just pointed out that I am supposed to be teaching in half an hour and I am still in my PJs!!!!)

Make sure you take the time to get better completely and don't worry if you don't achieve all the things you want to over this time. your health is so important and when you are better you will be strong enough to tackle the debt head on.

Having said that, you seem to be doing so well, even though ill. But please take care!

Thanks for your reply. I am taking the time to get better rather than trying to do too much or trying to go back to work too early - this is a lesson I learnt the hard way in the past. Nobody appreciates it so why should I bother? It it much better in the long run to take the time out to get myself well!

I have been watching a lot of telly, doing a lot of reading and puzzles and plenty of MSE/DFE lurking!

The steroids seem to be working - I can actually breathe! Also my chest no longer hurts as much as it did. Thank goodness!

PigginSkint

I think it's time to update on some of the money saving/DFW things I have done over the past few days.

Yesterday I did a real money saving dinner. Mince and vegetables made with Sainsburys Basics mince, onions and carrots plus some roast vegetables that I had in the freezer (leftovers from the last time I went to Dad and Stepmother's for dinner - parsnips, sweet potatoes, peppers etc), stock cube, water, tomato puree, garlic and mixed herbs. I had similar but used a packet of bean feast (I am veggie - OH and DS aren't). Both served with dumplings (home made of course) and mashed potato.

Also yesterday I listed some more books for sale on Amazon. I have also put some others in a box for charity - ones that I had listed on Amazon for ages but never sold.

Today I have filled in my deferment form for my student loan (a few days late so I hope it will be O.K.) which I will post today.

Today I have applied for an MBNA card online (0% for 12 months). Fingers crossed for that. If I get accepted I shall transfer some of the balance from my LTSB card - I don't expect that I will get a high enough credit limit to transfer the whole of the balance

Last week sometime (I forget which day) I used Quidco to search for black ink cartridges for the printer. Found some for 2 pound something each so bought 2 - a lot better than £13 or whatever they are for Epsom branded ones.

Last week I also used Quidco to take out another free trial for DVD rental - we have now had the 1st 3 DVDs arrive and we have watched one so far.

I think that's all for now.